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Health & Fitness

Braised Brisket with Creamed Spinach

Braised Brisket with Creamed Spinach

 

This is probably one of the better brisket recipes that I have made in awhile. It has just a few ingredients and can be made the day before. By the time most briskets are ready they are falling apart. This recipe calls for slicing it halfway through which helps to keep each slice intact by the time the brisket is ready to serve. I found this recipe on Food 52  by Nach Waxman. My largest Dutch oven is 9 ½ quarts. The largest size brisket that it can hold is a little over 4 pounds. This recipe calls for a 6 pound brisket which is too large to fit my Dutch oven so I used a 4.27 pound brisket that I found at Costco’s for $6.79/lbs. I followed the recipe exactly except that I used fewer onions since my brisket was not quite as large as the recipe calls for. I served this brisket with creamed spinach and crispy smashed baby Dutch potatoes. While traditionally latkes are served, this crispy version of potatoes are much easier to prepare.

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Nach Waxman’s Brisket of Beef

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1 (4 plus pound) first-cut beef brisket, trimmed so that a thin layer of fat remains

1 to 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Freshly ground black pepper

3 T corn oil (or other neutral oil)

4 Large onions (softball size), peeled and thickly sliced

3 T tomato paste

Kosher salt

2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 large carrot, peeled

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Dust the brisket with flour, then sprinkle with pepper to taste. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large ovenproof enameled cast-iron pot. Add the brisket and brown on both sides until crusty brown areas appear on the surface here and there, 5 to 7 minutes per side.

Transfer the brisket to a platter, then add the onions to the pot and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, scraping up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Cook until the onions have softened and developed a rich brown color but aren’t yet caramelized, 10 -15 minutes.

Turn off the heat and place the brisket and any accumulated juices on top of the onions. Spread the tomato paste over the brisket as if you were icing a cake. Sprinkle with salt and more pepper to taste, then add the garlic and the carrot to the pot. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and cook the brisket for 1 ½ hours.

Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and, using a very sharp knife, slice the meat across the grain into approximately 1/8 inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the pot, overlapping them at an angle so that you can see a bit of the top edge of each slice. The end result should resemble the original unsliced brisket leaning slightly backward. Check the seasonings and, if the sauce appears dry, add 2-3 teaspoons of water to the pot.

Cover the pot and return to the oven. Lower the heat to 325 degrees and cook the brisket until it is fork-tender 1 ½ - 2 hours. Check once or twice during the cooking to make sure that the liquid is not bubbling away. If it is, add a few more teaspoons of water- but not more. Also, each time you check, spoon some of the liquid on top of the roast so that it drips down between the slices.

It is ready to serve with its juices, but, in fact, it’s even better the second day. It also freezes well.

 

Creamed Spinach

4 (9oz) bags of fresh spinach leaves

¼ cup water

3 T butter, unsalted

½ cup onion, small dice

3 T all-purpose flour

2 cup 2% milk

Salt & pepper to taste

¼ t nutmeg

1 ½ cup of Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1 Roma tomato, diced (garnish)

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat; add the spinach one bag at a time. As the spinach begins to wilt add 1 T of water to keep the spinach from sticking to the pan. Once the spinach has wilted transfer to a colander. Repeat with the remaining bags of spinach and water. Once all the spinach has been cooked, press as much of the water out of the spinach as possible. Chop the spinach and set aside.

To make the béchamel sauce, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the onions and cook until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes or until lightly golden color. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Whisk in the salt and pepper to taste and the nutmeg. Cook the sauce for about 4-5 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of the cheese. Whisk the sauce until the cheese has melted and is fully incorporated. Stir in the spinach. Pour the spinach mixture into a greased 2 quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until the edges are bubbling. Garnish with the chopped tomato. Serve immediately.

 

Crispy Smashed Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes

1.5 lbs. of Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes, rinsed

Water

Olive oil

Kosher salt & pepper to taste

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Fill a large pot with water and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10-15 minute depending on the size of the potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain the potatoes. Grease a large rimmed sheet pan with olive oil. Pour the potatoes onto the sheet pan. Using a glass smash each potato to an even thickness. Gently turn the potatoes over so that each side is coated in the olive oil then salt and pepper to taste. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

 

Serves 8-10

 

 

 

 

 

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